Ween - albums

Ween - concerts

This is probably one of the weirdest albums I've heard. While I
don't think Ween are musical virtuousos in any manner, they're
definitely very self-indulgent and this makes hearing each song a very
worthwhile experience.

The album is hotter than the scantily-clad girl on the album cover.
Pictures of people in underwear are more erotic than pictures of
people completely naked, in my opinion, and this is also reflected in
the music presented this album: Raw self-indulgence clothed with a
thin veneer of marketing and smooth mixing. It would be very easy to
listen to this album and say Ween has become more of a stereotypical
rock group, and that they are no longer weird or defining in the music
they make. But this not even close to the truth.

I do not like the slick mixing in this album (there's nothing like
natural distortion coming from a 4-track tape deck), but barring that
Ween is as quirky as ever. The first couple of songs (Take me
Away and Spinal Meningitis) could sound
like they are trying very hard to be weird, i.e., maintain the same
sound as before, in order to please their record bosses (not that this
is bad since the songs sound cool, even though they would've fit
better on Pure Guava), but this fast
disappears as you get into Freedom of '94, I can't put my
Finger on It (which sounds genuinely self-indulgent), and
Mister, would You Please help my Pony?, Voodoo
Lady, Candi, all songs which are sure to please
old and new fans alike. A Tear for Eddie, a flanging
guitar instrumental, is quite haunting and while it is not your
typical David Gilmour solo, it still does produce a good emotive
response and suggests there's quite a bit of talent in this band. If
you think Ween can no longer be innovative and top what they have done
in the past, Roses are Red, Baby Bitch,
Joppa Road, Buenas Tardes Amigo, and
What Deaner was Talkin' About makes a liar out of
you---it is different from anything I've heard previously, since it
mixes their old style with a rockish sound, instead of a poppy one
(which is what happens on Pure
Guava). They still parody and make fun of everything and
anything, and this evident in the They Might be Giants-like
Drifter in the Dark, The HIV Song (the 2
word song goes "AIDS/HIV" which is ironic given that there's hot
debate in the scientific community about whether HIV really causes
AIDS), and Don't Shit where You Eat. Amen. This is
one of the best albums to come out this year.

This is Ween at their most self-indulgent. And while there is
virtue in self-indulgence, I'm afraid that there is very little of the
spark here that has made me like Ween so much in the past. I did get
used to this album and even began to like it, but it took several
listens. This amount of effort makes me wonder about the inherent
value in the music. The album is obviously painstakingly crafted, and
it bothers me that I didn't get into it (frankly I'm surprised I got
into it as much as I did) but I think the responsibility for this
mostly lies with Ween.

The album makes fun of country music. This could've been done in
one songs, even two, and perhaps three, if they really wanted to push
it. But ten?!? Anyways, the two-three classic parody songs do make
this album not a complete waste. They include Japanese
Cowboy, Piss Up a Rope, Pretty Girl,
and Power Blue. Worth getting if you're a Ween
complete-ist, but I recommend skipping it otherwise. (I must say this
album has grown on me, but I still don't think it's as great as their
earlier albums.)